Chapter 83

Act X: Singing In The Rain (8)

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The job Yao Yin was offering to Tan Yiming was the voice acting the role of ‘the midnight sun’.

Tan Yiming had heard Xiang Cai talk about this musical before, but didn't expect that he would have the opportunity to participate in it.

With such a good opportunity in front of him, Tan Yiming would never think of rejecting it!

Early the next morning, Tan Yiming and Xiang Cai appeared in the theater rehearsal hall together. The director, screenwriter, and producer all sat in a row ready to interview Tan Yiming.

To be honest, if it were not for Xiang Cai and Yao Yin’s recommendations, the directing team would never consider letting ‘midnight sun’ be dubbed by a male voice.

Tan Yiming had stayed up all night the night before to finish reading the original novel and adapted screenplay. Because of the lack of time, he could only write around a thousand characters in the character biography, but it was enough to reflect his intentions.

Tan Yiming's resume was very impressive with countless voice acting works. His personal characteristics were distinct, and so he displayed it all beautifully. When the director asked him to recite a few lines on the spot, no matter whether if it was gentle, arrogant, cold or considerate, he could perform it all with perfect emotions.

Xiang Cai volunteered to act together with Tan Yiming.
 

He chose the scene in the script when the protagonist first heard the voice of ‘midnight sun’.

There was a messy bed in the center of the rehearsal hall. The boy slept with his clothes on, and he slept unsteadily with his brows furrowed. He twisted his body from time to time, like a very anxious little animal.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the distance.

It was ethereal and void, but at the same time, thick and solid. It was amazing how just one voice could blend so many diametrically opposed adjectives together.

"—If I were you, I would not stay in bed on such a clear beautiful night. Instead, I would spend my time basking in the moonlight."

The boy was startled awake from his dream. He suddenly sat up on his bed and looked around, not seeing anyone, confused, he then lowered his head and laid back down.

"—Don't sleep, the stars are waiting for you."

The boy was fully awake this time. He got out of bed barefoot, opened the ‘door’, and cautiously stepped out.

He was clearly standing in the bright rehearsal hall, but the boy's surprised expression performance convinced the audience that he had crossed the boundaries of time and space to stand under a starry sky.

"Who are you?" The boy folded his hands to his mouth and loudly asked the sky, "Are you the moon? Or the star? A cloud in the sky or the wind passing by my ear?"

The voice did not answer the boy's question.

Instead, he recited the poem by Alfred D'Souza. He spoke slowly, his voice like a gentle stream of water winding and caressing everyone's ears.

"—Sing like no one is listening, love like you’ve never been heartbroken, dance like no one is watching and live life like it is heaven on earth."

So, under the guidance of that voice, the boy began to dance and sing under the stars for the first time.

...

This was a very stream-of-consciousness type work. The original novel was full of speculation on human nature and self, and its adapted script sincerely followed this sense of mystery.

To be honest, when Tan Yiming read the script the night before, there were many things that he didn't understand. At that time, he asked Xiang Cai for clarification, hoping that Xiang Cai could teach him a little bit and help him understand.

However, Xiang Cai embarrassedly refused him, saying that everyone had a different appreciation of this work. If he directly gave Tan Yiming his interpretation, it would stifle his own thinking.

Tan Yiming could only come into the interview with thick fog gathered in his mind.

However, when Tan Yiming saw Xiang Cai’s dance and heard Xiang Guai's singing, he was enlightened and that thick fog suddenly disappeared.

In the play, the boy named the voice the 'midnight sun'. symbolizing the never-setting sun. And he was waiting for this 'midnight sun' to come to him. Little did the boy know that the midnight sun was himself, and he himself was the light. The midnight sun he was waiting for was actually there all along.

...

This was not the first time that Tan Yiming had seen Xiang Cai dance, nor was it the first time he had heard Xiang Cai sing on stage. However, this time it was completely different from the past because Xiang Cai was right in front of him, just within his reach and he was accompanying him on the same stage.

Tan Yiming was brought into the play by Xiang Cai and in turn, Tan Yiming guided Xiang Cai like a kind elder, taught him like a serious adult... Together, they depended on each other and could not be separated.

The scene was very long, and when Xiang Cai finished acting, a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

Tan Yiming caught up to him to wipe his sweat with a towel like an errand boy.

However, Xiang Cai didn't care about drying himself, first looking towards the teachers present.

The director, producer, and screenwriter exchanged their opinions in low voices. Looking at the expressions on their faces, it seemed that they had reached a consensus.

After a while, the director took the initiative and asked: "Xiao Xiang, Xiao Tan, you two have a good tacit understanding. Have you worked together before?"

The two answered at the same time.

Xiang Cai: "No."

Tan Yiming: "Yes!"

Xiang Cai was at a loss: "...When have we worked together?"

Tan Yiming reminded him: "Five years ago, the song on the night of the New Year's Eve."

As soon as Xiang Cai was reminded of this, he recalled that scene. He embarrassedly said: "That's too..."

Tan Yiming felt that he was a really unscrupulous little guy: "Why not? I still have a recording from that time."

Obviously, they were on the scene of an interview, but the two lovers quarreled over the matters of five years ago.

The director interrupted them: "Just now I was praising that you two have a good tacit understanding. If you want to quarrel, go outside to quarrel."

Xiang Cai showed a shy pleased smile. After making that mistake, he was too embarrassed to speak again.

The producer was twice as old as Xiang Cai, and looked at him like he was watching his own child. He said to him: "Young man, it's good to be wholehearted on stage and squabble off stage; it is good that the protagonist and the midnight sun are originally two magnets attracted to each other, rather than sending two strangers who have no tacit understanding in front of the audience."

As soon as his words came out, they knew that the matter was basically settled!

How could Tan Yiming not understand anything now? He quickly bowed his head to thank them: "Thank you, teachers, for giving me this opportunity. I will work hard!"

"Don't thank us." The screenwriter laughed. "If you want to thank someone, thank yourself. You’ve moved us with your voice just now, and when you are on the stage, you will also move the audience with your voice."

Tan Yiming had played in many dramas before, but there was still a difference between ‘dubbing’ and ‘acting’. Fortunately, this show did not require him to show his face on stage, he just needed to stand behind the scenes and speak out.

"That's right." The director suddenly asked, "We are going on tour, can you come on tour with the crew?"

Tan Yiming was taken aback, and embarrassingly said: "I am a voice actor, and I have a voice acting business under my name, so it is not convenient for me to leave Huacheng too long."

"This is easy to handle," The producer interjected, "The tour only requires Xiao Tan to pass through the first or last show of each city, and the other shows can be directly recorded and broadcast. A sound effect engineer can be arranged behind the scenes to cooperate with Xiang Cai. "

The director pondered for a moment: "Well...I don’t know. The effect of recording and broadcasting will definitely not be as good as an on-site performance."

The producer said: "But recording and broadcasting saves money! The actors get paid for each appearance, but how much does just the recording cost?"

All the people present nodded deeply.

Tan Yiming was frozen in place. He used a lot of strength to control his presence and appearance, yet his expression still collapsed.

Although he had heard that the funds for musical productions were limited, and a penny had to be split in half but it was really unusual for them to plan the spending so carefully to this level...

※

Waiting for the Midnight Sun premiered at the end of January. Its online and offline promotion started as early as December. Huacheng was the home base of the crew, so their first performance was set at Shanhe Theater.

This play was an extremely rare one-man show. For this reason, Shanhe Theater had been specially modified.

One of the halls, which was large enough to accommodate 300 people, had been changed into a ‘four-sided theater’ - the actor stood on the center of the stage, and seating surrounded him on all four sides. Each side could seat 80 people, so a total of 320 spectators could be accommodated.

The day before the premiere, the entire theater stayed up all night to complete the refitting. After the lighting engineers and sound engineers adjusted the equipment, they all struggled back home to sleep.

The whole theater was empty, and only a large lamp at the top of the hall remained lit, offering a glimmer of light.

Suddenly - the theater's door was pushed open.

Two figures held hands and slowly stepped into the theater.

"Look." Xiang Cai's eyes chased the light as he whispered, "That’s the stage."

Tan Yiming followed his gaze.

The man had never seen such a stage setting. The whole theater was like the Colosseum in ancient Rome. The stage in the center was very low, while the surrounding seats were very high up.

The audience would watch the actor's performance from a bird's-eye view, as if they were God looking at civilization.

The two held hands and stepped onto the stage.

The overhead light was very bright, and it formed a huge, warm yellow aperture as it fell onto the ground. The two stood in the aperture and took in the sights around them.

Tan Yiming didn’t know how to describe his feeling at that moment - although their surroundings were empty now, he knew that over a dozen hours later, there would be three hundred and twenty pairs of eyes looking down onto the stage. He felt his heartbeat quicken.

The stage was small, less than 20 square meters, but several scenes were still squeezed onto it. Xiang Cai wandered between these scenes non-stop. He played twelve roles alone, changed costumes five times on stage, sang fifteen songs and read more than 10,000 lines in two hours... No mistake could be made.

Tan Yiming asked Xiang Cai: "Cai Cai, are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous," Xiang Cai shook his head, "Because I won’t be the only one on this stage."

Tan Yiming: "That's right, the live band won’t be far from you, you will be able to see them when you look up."

"No, I'm not referring to them."

Xiang Cai looked softly at his lover.

The boy said, "I am referring to you."

The man was stunned.

Xiang Cai said: "Just like the male protagonist has the midnight sun, I also have your company, don't I?"

Their surrounding was dark, only the two of them were in the light.

Xiang Cai threw himself into Tan Yiming's arms, and rested his head sideways on his shoulder.

The whole hall was quiet, and only their heartbeats could be clearly heard.

Gradually, their heartbeats overlapped, as if they had been intertwined since ancient times.

The man's voice fell to Xiang Cai’s ear, and the warm wind of his breath blew through his hair.

"Cai Cai," Tan Yiming said solemnly, "I believe that in the future, you will set foot on a larger stage, have a bigger audience, and appear in more well-known plays...And I will be by your side just like I am today."

"—Good."

The little swan had been flying alone for so long, and now, he had finally returned home.

----End of the lower part----

The author has something to say:

Here, the lower part has come to an end.

Next is the [Curtain Call] and [Behind the Scenes].

In [Curtain Call], all the supporting roles in the novel will appear, such as Cen Manchuan, Qi Ji and Chen Ziran, as well as many friends who you may not remember the names of but who contributed to the main plot in this novel. They will all come out and say goodbye to you one by one.

In [Behind the scenes], there will be cookies of Old Tan and Cai Cai that you’ll enjoy. If the novel was not sweet enough, you will be filled with these tidbits!

[T/N: And this great story has come to an end (but not completely). I do feel a little unfulfilled, but it has been so great so far, I cannot complain! Btw, I’m not sure if Alfred D’ Souza actually wrote the quote ‘sing as if no one is listening’, but the author said that so I went with it. Looking forward to the next chapters!]

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